Memory Alpha:Introduction

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Memory Alpha is a free Star Trek reference database written collaboratively by its readers. The site is a wiki, meaning that anyone, including you, can edit any article right now by clicking on the "Edit this page" link that appears in every Memory Alpha article.

Browsing Memory Alpha

Memory Alpha is, essentially, an encyclopedia. You can start browsing by selecting a subject on the Main Page, and follow any link to a subsequent subject. All Memory Alpha articles are interlinked – that is, they have inline hyperlinks to other articles on related subjects. Alternatively, you can use the search box that can be found at the top right of every page.

If you're feeling lucky, you could also try clicking the "Random page" link also found at the top right of every page. You could also try the "Recent changes" link to check out the latest updates to our database.

Warning:Memory Alpha contains spoilers! For any television episode that has aired in its nationwide timeslot in the United States, that material is considered fair game for inclusion in articles. See our spoiler policy for more information.

Editing

Anyone is allowed to edit practically any page in Memory Alpha – yes, anyone and any page, even this one! Just click on the "edit this page" or "edit" link that can be found at the top or bottom of every article. You don't have to be logged in. (Also see:Why contribute?)

If you want to start off easy, you could find a page that is either incomplete or has an error, and correct that mistake by clicking on the "edit this page" or "edit" link. If you can think of a way to improve the page, go ahead and do it! Anyone else can come along later and fix it up if you make a mistake – just as you're fixing someone else's mistake. And if you're worried about messing up an article, try editing using the wiki style in the sandbox first.

If you see a link that is colored red, that is a link to an article that has not been created yet. Again, you can create one of these pages yourself. The red links lead directly to the page editing form, where you can write the article yourself. Type the article like you would a normal document, and then just click on the "Save page" button to upload your contribution.

Of course, Memory Alpha does have a number of policies and guidelines to remember when editing a page. All contributions to Memory Alpha are released under a Creative Commons License (CCL). The CCL ensures that Memory Alpha will remain freely distributable forever – within the limits of fair use, of course. (See Copyrights for more information.)

Philosophy

Some people feel uncomfortable with the concept of a wiki – it is too open, it is unreliable, and so forth. But believe it or not, this system does work – and we currently have 38,152 distinct articles to prove it!

In a nutshell, a wiki works because it is made as simple as possible for anyone to contribute, in a medium in which the sensible contributors outnumber and overpower the disruptive ones. Additionally, the wiki allows an easy, free exchange of information that allows false or misleading information to be quickly corrected. (For more discussion on the viability of the wiki system, check out replies to common objections.)

The founders of Memory Alpha, Harry Doddema and Dan Carlson, chose to use the wiki format for a Star Trek database in order to get as many fans as possible involved in the project. Rather than numerous small and limited personal databases, Memory Alpha has the potential to become the largest, most reliable fan database available. We hope you'll join us!